Today is not just a day, it’s not just another day, it’s another year. What words can one use to describe something that’s so hard to understand? It’s not as if those who support Bowe don’t get it, they do. It’s more like, how does one absorb and communicate the concept of being held as a prisoner by enemy forces for 4 years- for 1,461 days? And that’s just the concept we’re talking about. The experience part, well let’s just say that it’s pretty much impossible to absorb the incomprehensible. Can we even begin to imagine the daily uncertainty of not knowing if you’ll ever return home- feeling helpless, waiting for a miracle? It’s a situation which is overwhelming to even think about. And what about those who are waiting back at home? How do they cope? They do cope, yes they do. They cope because they know that there is something, somebody, bigger than life’s circumstances. This understanding is where the hope grows. It’s the hope, you know, the hope is why you’re able to cope.

All of us who have come together to work to bring Bowe home are doing something that changes us. We started out wanting to do something for, to give something to, Bowe and his family. And before we knew it, we realized that they were giving to us. They allowed us to be part of what certainly must be the most challenging experience of their lives. We get to see their steadfast faith; we are witness to the grace with which they live their lives. We get to see what it looks like to live with hope in the face of seemingly overwhelming circumstances.

As we move from the end of the fourth year of Bowe’s captivity and into the beginning of the fifth, let’s all take a special moment to lift Bowe and his family up in prayer. And we do know that not everyone prays so if you don’t, please envision in your mind a happy and healthy Bowe back home in Hailey. Let’s all hold onto the hope that Bowe will be reunited with his family before another year has passed.

So we’ll all pull together and continue the mission into­­­­­ year five. We’ll tell Bowe’s story and we’ll invite people to join us in our work. We’ll hold our elected officials accountable in all matters concerning Bowe. We’ll each do these things in our own unique way. That’s the beauty of a grassroots effort; we each get to bring to the table those things that we’re the best at. And then we draw these things together, united, so we can achieve something that none of us could ever do alone. Most of all, we don’t give up; surely duty isn’t something that any of us would shirk. We carry on because we know that the mission isn’t over until the last man comes home.

Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands ~ Acts 12:7

This is an easy thing to do for anyone who wants to help bring Bowe Bergdahl back home.

There are many ways one can speak out for Bowe. One way is to lend strength to his petition by signing it and sharing it with others. Sign and share, it’s as simple as that. An online petition makes it all the easier for those who wish to participate; it’s just a click away. And one shouldn’t forget that there are many who would want to participate- they just need someone to tell them about the petition and where to find it. You can tell them, you can speak out for Bowe.

A group of Bowe Supporters, spearheaded by Ellen Parker, have come together to begin a new petition which, when completed, will be sent to the Senate Armed Forces Committee, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. The text of the petition is as follows:

Army SGT Bowe Bergdahl Pow: Find, Rescue, Return

Signature goal: 100,000

Target: Senate Armed Forces Committee, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry

Sponsored by: Ellen Parker

We the undersigned demand that President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, CJCS General Martin Dempsey and CIA Director John Brennan take all measures necessary to locate Sgt. Bowe Bergdhal, secure his freedom and bring him home to the USA.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was captured while deployed to Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. We fervently believe that after four (4) years of captivity it is time for the Obama Administration to take any and all measures to return Sgt. Bergdahl to his family & country. Sgt. Bergdhal is reportedly held by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network. Reports state that negotiations fell apart in March of 2012. We believe that now is the time to make his release a priority. It is time to find him and bring him home by any means necessary.

Don’t let Sgt. Bergdhal be left behind. Our motto is “We leave no man behind”, yet we are drawing down our troops in Afghanistan and have not secured the release of Sgt. Bergdahl. Once our troops are home, it will be much more difficult to seure the release of Sgt. Bergdahl. Now is the time to act!

Let the President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, CJCS General Martin Dempsey and CIA Director John Brennan know it is time to find Sgt. Bergdhal and bring him home.

You can help to raise awareness about Bowe’s plight while you spread the word about the petition. There is a free,downloadableFLYER that will help you to share petition related info.

Please help to bring Bowe home by signing and sharing this petition; this is an important thing to do. Be one of the 100,000 signatures that will be sent to Washington D.C. along with the message “Bring SGT Bowe Bergdahl Home NOW!”

It was May of 2011 that they last had an update about Bowe. It had been over 2 years ago since the Taliban had released a video which contained the last known images of him while in enemy captivity.

Two years surely must seem an eternity to parents who wonder if their only son is alive in place thousands of miles away from home.

It is no surprise that Bob and Jani Bergdahl were overjoyed when they received a letter from Bowe through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Bob Bergdahl explained that although the letter had been scripted and redacted, he is certain that the letter was actually written by Bowe. He was relieved to know that Bowe was alive and fully functioning as of about two months ago, when the letter had likely been written.

The following is the Bergdahl Family’s official statement about Bowe’s letter as released by family spokesperson Col. Timothy Marsano of the Idaho National Guard:

“Through the International Committee of the Red Cross, we recently received a letter we’re confident was written to us by our son Bowe. Our family is greatly relieved and encouraged by this letter, which gives us hope that Bowe is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. We thank the ICRC for all their assistance and support over these past four years. We want to also thank the many individuals, private groups and agencies who are working to support us and bring Bowe home. We hope Bowe’s captors will again consider his parents’ plea to release him, but in the meantime, we ask that you please continue to keep him in good health and allow him to keep corresponding with us.”

As a follow up to the delivery of Bowe’s handwritten letter, the International Committee of the Red Cross contacted Bowe’s family via email. The email explained:

“As part of it’s humanitarian mandate, the ICRC facilitates contact between detainees and their families across Afghanistan. We do so for detainees in Afghan prisons, for persons held by foreign forces but also for persons held by the armed opposition groups. We have regular contacts with all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan who accept the ICRC’s role as a neutral intermediary. The Red Cross Message service is available to all concerned families, including the family of Sergeant Bergdahl. To give you an sense of scale, we distribute some 25,000 humanitarian letters of this kind every year in Afghanistan alone. As regards dates of transmission and addressees of individual letters, you will understand that in the interest of the concerned detainees and families, we prefer not to share such details.”

Bowe’s Supporters are ecstatic about this latest development. The knowledge that there is new evidence that Bowe is alive has reinvigorated their determination to do everything possible to assist in bringing back home to his family in Hailey

Today is the twenty-eighth day of March. Twenty-seven years ago today Bowe Robert Bergdahl was born into a loving family living in a small town in rural Idaho. Life was good in Idaho and Bowe grew up to become a kind, intelligent, adventurous young man.

Fast forward to today. Bowe’s family still lives in Idaho and they still love him dearly. Bowe, however, is being held captive somewhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan by insurgents who are allied with the Taliban.

While it’s shocking enough to learn that a United States Army soldier has been taken prisoner by those who are fighting against America, it’s even more shocking to know that one has been held captive for nearly four years. As of today, Bowe has seen four birthdays pass since he was taken captive on 30 June 2009. We wonder if Bowe knows that he turns twenty-seven today. We pray that next year that question won’t even need to be asked. It is our greatest hope that in 2014 he will be able to celebrate his birthday, celebrate his life, with his loving family in that small town in Idaho.

What people are doing

Bowe’s supporters have made extra time today to tell others Bowe’s story. Many have distributed flyers and brochures to tell people about his plight. We have a free downloadable brochure that you can get HERE to use to spread the word about Bowe. Facebook users and twitter users are sharing posts about Bowe via social media. We have posts that you can share from our FACEBOOK PAGE “Waiting and Advocating for Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, US Army – POW”. Also, please take a minute to SIGN Bowe’s Guestbook.

Interviews

Dayle Ohlau of Idaho’s KECH-fm 95.3 interviewed Bowe’s parents, Jani and Bob Bergdahl, today. In an in-depth session she finds out more about how the Bergdahls are able to manage through and cope with the crisis of their son being held as a prisoner of war. Also discussed is how Bob Bergdahl is studying the culture in which Bowe finds himself in order to help to bring his son home. Separately there is also a short segment that features Bowe’s family wishing him a happy birthday.

FOLLOW HERE to listen as Bowe’s family sends him birthday greetings today.

From us to Bowe

We will end our post today by saying “Happy Birthday Bowe! We are standing strong for you until you come home. God willing, may you celebrate your day next year in Idaho surrounded by those who love you.”

Today is BOWE TUESDAY 159. SGT Bowe Bergdahl has been held as a prisoner of war for 1113 days.

The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives will be in session for another two weeks before they go on break. This would be a very good week to leave a phone message for your Senators and Representative. The U.S. Capitol Switchboard can be reached by calling (202)224-3121. When you call, give them your Senators’ names or Representative’s name and tell them that you wish to be connected to their office. Be sure you jot down what you want to say beforehand so that you can get in everything you want tell them. Keep it brief. Be sure to let them know that you are counting on them to do everything in their power to see that Bowe’s release is obtained. Tell them that you want to be able to depend on them to support any effort brought before them to rescue him from his captors. Follow HERE to confirm who your Members of Congress are. If you use this link, you will be able to find the direct lines to your Members of Congress. The main switchboard will get you there also, they just have to connect you.

Please help to raise awareness about Bowe’s captivity by changing your Facebook profile picture today to one that brings attention to Bowe. Please make a special post asking your friends to also make a call to their Members on Congress. And PLEASE share this post. And when you share on Facebook, you’d be amazed at how many shares happen just because you shared on your timeline. And if you actually state on your post PLEASE SHARE, you’ll dramatically boost the chances of having someone else share your post. We all need to get Bowe’s name in front of as many people as possible. FollowHERE for our BOWE TUESDAY post on Facebook.

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